All Our Firsts 06 - Making Our Own Holiday
by AkinaSky
Summary: IT'S PRIDE with Stiles and Derek, some angst and comfort, cameo appearances from two other Beacon Hills Alum. Sterek, Slash. Don't like don't read. Part of the All Our Firsts One Series
1. Invitation

**Making Our Own Holidays**

 **All Our Firsts One-Shot**

 **LA Pride 2017**

 **Author's Note: I hope everyone had a good Pride where ever they are and if you can't make it to one, I hope you feel it in your heart. 3**

 **Chapter 1** **: Invitation**

"Look I know its stupid but I can't stop thinking about it, I want to celebrate but I don't want to go without Derek. I can't imagine he would want to go for a variety of reasons." Stiles said, gripping the phone in his hand and looking around the loft, not expecting Derek to be back any time soon but the werewolf was very good at being stealthy, cause you know werewolf. He didn't want his boyfriend to think he wasn't awesome, Stiles just wished sometimes that they could be really stupidly normal gay guys and go to Pride. Not that he considered himself to be gay, or Derek really. They were something though and it was a place where they could enjoy the enthusiasm and acceptance. Though they were widely accepted by their friends, Beacon Hills was still a small town with ideas about their relationship because of the age gap and the dude thing.

"Stiles," Danny muttered over the phone. His fellow lacrosse playing gay friend's exasperation was plainly heard over the line. Since Danny lived in Los Angeles, he was going to Pride there and because Stiles had never been open about his fluid sexuality before Derek he'd never really wanted to go before and now that he was able to really be out and proud he wanted to share that enthusiasm like he did everything else but he wanted to do it with his boyfriend because he was proud to be with his werewolf boyfriend not because he was smoking hot even though he was. It was mostly because Derek was the strongest and most courageous person Stiles had ever had the pleasure of knowing and he was proud to love and be loved by him.

"Look, I know Danny."

"No Stiles, you don't know because you're assuming what he wants and doesn't want. That man is _du-u-humb_ on you, if you ask him to go to Pride with you, he's going to say yes."

Stiles groaned, "Maybe I don't want to make him go and do something that he's not going to enjoy. Danny you know as well as I do what he is, the noise and everything—it would be hell on his senses."

"Stiles," his friend sighed again, "Ask him okay?"

"Ugh, fine!"

"Better hurry though, events start tomorrow you know."

"I know," Stiles groaned out and hung up the phone. He looked down at his left hand where the thick red rubber ring sat and smiled, knowing he undoubtedly looked like a dope and didn't even care. He loved Derek and the werewolf always seemed to be doing everything that Stiles wanted to do and he'd recently realized that he didn't want their relationship like that. And he knew everything there was to know about the man except some of the things he really loved to do. What had he wanted to be when he was younger? His dreams and hopes? What had they been and what are they now? Did they include Stiles?

Stiles shook off the questions because Danny was right, Derek loved him. Derek loved _him_ , one Stiles 'dorky and clutzy' Stilinski and if he could handle all the supernatural stupid and the life crazy then he could handle talking to his boyfriend and asking the man for what he wanted and let Derek know that he's allowed, encouraged even, to say no.

"Stiles, what's wrong?" Derek asked and Stiles shrieked and fumbled for his phone which almost slipped from his hand as he turned around to see the werewolf staring at him with that concerned tilt of his head along with the judging brow.

"How do you do that?" Stiles gasped out, holding his chest with one hand.

"Scare you?" Derek asked to clarify, "Clearly its because you are thinking yourself into a panic attack again. I can hear your heart, what the hell are you so freaked about?"

"No," Stiles said with an indignant huff ignoring the rest of his questions, "How do you look concerned and judging at the same time?"

"Probably because I am, judging you a little bit for standing here in the middle of my home freaking yourself out all by yourself instead of talking to me, to the point that I can scare you when my door is on a really loud sliding track."

Stiles crossed his arms and glared at his boyfriend, "Do you know what month it is?"

"June," Derek said back calmly and Stiles rolled his eyes. This was not going well already. He dropped his arms and walked over to flop onto the couch with a sigh. Derek followed and kept judging him with those black heavy eyebrows and sat next to him. "You're upset about something and I don't like it when you're upset. Can you just tell me? I know that our anniversary is still months off and you haven't been one of those 'month-aversaries' people so far."

Stiles snorted, "I'm not one of those people now. I just wonder how much stuff I should be allowed to convince you to do with me. We have been celebrated holidays together, ones that weren't even really honored in your family and I know that what I am asking you now is just going to be uncomfortable and miserable for you but I want to go and it shouldn't mean this much to me but," Stiles finally looked up when he saw Derek hold something out to him and Stiles petered out staring at the tickets that Derek was holding in his hand. The words were upside down but the ticket had rainbows and the LA Pride logo on it and he snatched them from his boyfriend's hand. They were tickets to the baseball game that was in honor of pride and his hands shook in barely contained excitement.

"I know what month it is Stiles, I may not be out and proud waving rainbow flags around but I am in love with you and though I have always been on the outside, well since the fire, I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to be with you and I would do it all over again. I know you are loud and proud, my unique little snowflake."

Stiles snorted and shoved his boyfriend's shoulder a little, not that he hadn't used the same kind of phrase to describe himself but still, a joking Derek was still something that was so new he didn't know what to do with it half the time.

"We can belong with these people, even for a short time and I know you well enough to know that you would love this, want this. I'm not stupid Stiles."

"But the noise," Stiles sighed.

Derek rolled his eyes, "First off I appreciate the concern but I am going to be fine, I imagine that we won't be going to every single event right?"

Stiles had looked at all the events and no he wasn't interested in some. He shook his head.

"You love baseball and I used to play all kinds of sports, I wouldn't mind watching a game with you."

"It's not the Mets, but it'll do," Stiles said but his happy grin and his scent was going to out the fact that he was utterly ecstatic, despite the less than happy words coming from his mouth. He loved the Mets and loves to watch them play but he was going to Pride with his boyfriend.

Derek held out his phone and showed Stiles something, he frowned as he looked at the reservation for the next week in a hotel in LA and he flopped forward into a hug with the alpha and pressed a happy kiss to his lips.

"When do we leave?"

"Four hour drive and we are meeting some people for dinner so maybe you should go get ready."

"What? Tonight?" Stiles asked and leapt up out of the seat and almost thumped Derek in the head with his flailing hands as he handed the phone back and rushed around looking for his forgotten shoes and jacket, there were keys somewhere as well. He got everything after a few minutes of fumbling then he fell silent realizing that Derek was still sitting on the couch looking at the younger man with fond exasperation.

Stiles smiled as he walked back over and dragged the man to his feet and kissed him, deep and long and wet. Derek's hands gripped into the back of his jacket and pulled him in close. Stiles grinned into the kiss, feeling the click of their teeth as Derek growled and lifted him off the ground. Stiles's legs easily found their way around Derek's waist and they kissed for another couple minutes, rubbing up against each other with enthusiasm then Stiles grunted and pulled away, "God you are distracting and we have to go so you should put me down."

"No," Derek grumbled and Stiles laughed, throwing his head back with glee.

"I love you Sourwolf, I promise we are going to have all the fun, okay?"

He nodded, "I'm going to meet you back at your place in an hour. I already talked to your dad though he snorted and told me that I was dating a 'grown up' he actually air-quoted that," Stiles gasped in mock-offense before he slithered to the floor. "And he said what we got up to for the next week was none of his business and he didn't want to know."

Stiles kissed Derek on the corner of the mouth, "I'll be ready for you to take me away to Pride in an hour wolfman. Thank you for this Derek."

Then he pulled away and started walking towards the door, hearing the quiet chuckle and sweet words, "Love you too Stiles."

Stiles rushed home, trying to stay under the speed limit and when he got to the Stilinski residence he rushed up to his bedroom and threw some mostly clean clothes into a duffel bag and paused at his bedside table then grabbed the condoms and lube just in case. They weren't having intercourse though they had done a lot of other things, maybe they would and maybe not but he wanted to be ready. He stopped for another second when he thought his prom suit, something he'd updated and bought a new vest for and he wanted to dress up for Derek, there would be a chance and it was something he just had to wear for his boyfriend and this is a great opportunity for that.

He grabbed the garment bag at the back of his closet then grabbed his laptop and everything else he might need for a week away from home.

"You getting ready?" someone asked and for the second time that day Stiles screeched in surprise and turned to glare at his father.

"Why?" Stiles just shouted.

The sheriff chuckled and shook his head, "You're going to be safe right?" he asked.

"Dad, it's Pride, mostly happy people and we are all just getting together to have some fun and be accepted by each other."

"You know what I mean Stiles, make sure that you two are safe."

Stiles just rolled his eyes, "You do realize that werewolves can't get sick and they don't carry diseases, right? Not that any of this is something I want to talk to you about."

"And what about werewolf strength? What about him getting excited and shifting during? What about all of those things? Have you talked about it?"

"I've done research," Stiles mumbled as he fumbled to pick up his duffel back and his backpack while he grabbed the garment bag and pointedly _didn't_ look at his father.

"Have you talked to Derek, your boyfriend about all of this?"

Stiles scoffed, "Dad we have done a lot and he's always been in control."

"I don't need to know the specifics but you shouldn't just jump in without talking about things. I struggled and so did your mother but when we talked about sex, what we liked and what we didn't it always made us closer. I know you are loud about sex and whatever Stiles, but it's not the same thing as actually having a deep intimate conversation with your partner about what you like and what you don't. It's important."

Stiles took a deep breath and tried to ignore the heat on his cheeks and his ears, he knew that they were bright red with embarrassment. "Well I promise we will have some horribly awkward conversation about sex before we do it. Can we stop talking about it now?"

The sheriff just shrugged, "I worry about you kiddo, I know that you love him. I know that you two have actually waited for some reason and I am grateful though unsure as to why."

Stiles shuffled his feet, "Dad, that's Derek's story but he has trust issues and a lot of them when it comes to sex and I didn't want him to think that's why I wanted him. I know its girly and stupid but I couldn't just jump into it with him without hurting him in the long run."

Noah shook his head, "I don't think its girly to care more about your boyfriend's mental health than your own sexual desire. I think it just means that you love him."

They both stopped when they heard the Camaro pull up in the drive and Stiles started grinning again, "We can't talk about it now but thanks Dad, for always caring." He reached out and hugged his father than rushed downstairs and threw open the door to watch as a smirking alpha werewolf stepped up onto the driveway. Stiles met him next to the car and Derek lifted an eyebrow at the garment case then said nothing as he walked over to the sheriff and shook his head. Stiles watched for a moment, so happy when Derek leaned into the hand that the Sheriff pressed to the werewolf's shoulder before they bear hugged and Derek walked back to the car.

They got in and headed out of town to the annoying refrain of Stiles saying over and over, "Los Angeles Pride here we come. Pride! Pride! Pride!"

To which Derek responded with, "Please don't do that the whole way."


	2. Dinner for Four

**Chapter 2** **: Dinner for Four**

 **Author's note: I know we don't have a lot of other character interaction in this series but I hope you enjoy the cameos.**

Derek gladly stepped out of the car in front of their hotel and took a deep breath, he loved Stiles more than anything on the planet but being stuck in the car with the spastic can-never-seem-to-sit-still man for four hours would try the patience of a saint, let alone a grumpy werewolf.

Stiles got out of the passenger seat a little more sedately than Derek was expecting and he knew without chemo-signals that when Derek snapped at him to shut up about an hour ago was still festering. He would make it up to Stiles when they were settled instead of on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. The scent in the car for the past thirty minutes had been that of nervous excitement that was being buried under shame and sheer force of will. They went to the trunk and took out their bags, handed the key off to the attendant, Derek took his ticket for valet and they walked inside.

"Checking in?" the way too happy front desk girl asked as she looked at them. She took a moment to appreciate Derek's physique and passed over Stiles, making the younger man fume even more. His scent was riding the line towards angry and Derek took a deep breath before he spoke, attempting not to let his canines drop in retaliation. He was used to the second looks and people noticing his body and stopping there. He had seen more than once, the looks and scents of lust then the stupid reaction of cold water being dashed all over the scent along with the confusion when people figured out that he was with Stiles. The younger man was used to this as well, he was angrier that someone was reducing Derek to his looks and Derek was angry because Stiles was reduced to nothing in her eyes because he didn't look the same as the fit werewolf.

Everything in the car suddenly just dropped away and Derek dropped his bag to grip Stiles's hand in comfort and the man's scent shifted quickly to surprise then furthermore into contentment. "Yes we're checking in. Room for Hale, Derek Hale."

She looked at the reservation, looked at them both and then down to their joined hands and he knew that she was seeing that it was a queen-sized bed, not two singles and her utter disappointment and realization stung his nose a little as they finished the transaction and received their keys.

As they were walking away she sighed and whispered, "Pity."

Though clearly it was loud enough for Stiles to hear because he spun around, steamed and ready to fight. Derek gleefully watched her face drop when she realized what she'd done and Stiles was clearly ready for a fight. Derek didn't stop him as he sidled up on the counter and asked, "Pardon?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, trying not to make things worse but also not accepting what she had said.

Stiles was not impressed, he snorted and leaned in, "Did you think it would work to your advantage if he wasn't taken? That maybe you could use the time he was in the hotel to get with him? Or is the 'pity' the fact that he's taken by me?"

"Sir, I don't know what you mean," she whispered and Derek took a step back towards the desk because this wasn't really the plan to start their trip with. It was sadly how they had multiple interactions with other women since they started dating, in and out of Beacon Hills.

"Yes, you do. You think you have the right to make a pretty unfair judgment about the fact that he and I are together, well you know what. I am going to need to see your manager."

"No," she whispered. "Please, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Really? Maybe you aren't the right fit for the front desk when you have Pride going on in your city. Maybe your manager would be glad to know that or maybe he won't care either but you need to keep your trap shut with people."

She nodded and Stiles waited a beat, "You don't know anything about me or him. You have no idea about anything beyond what we look like so next to you see someone you think you want and then they turn out to be unavailable; keep your mouth shut."

The woman nodded again and Stiles turned and walked towards Derek with that determined look he had whenever he was researching something and Derek's breath caught in his throat as Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulder and kissed him, his mouth open and tongue seeking out the warmth of the werewolf's mouth and tongue. He groaned into the kiss and let Stiles take control for another minute before he pulled away and whispered into his boyfriend's cheek, "Are you done prove to the world that I happily belong to you?"

Stiles stepped back and nodded before he grabbed his bags and they headed up to their room, as soon as the door was closed Stiles tossed down his stuff and ran his hands through his hair making it stand on end.

"I hate that people look at you and its like you are just your good looks and then they look at me and see what?"

Derek stepped in front of Stiles before he could work himself into a frenzy and pressed his hand into the younger man's chest, "Stiles, I don't care. People looking at my body isn't something new and there is nothing about any other person could ever compare to what we have together."

Stiles deflated and pressed his forehead into Derek's chest, "God, sometimes it just makes me nuts and look at me making a mess of our trip already in the car and now."

Derek sighed and pulled him close, loving the feel of when Stiles's chin slid over his shoulder and sighed right back. "You didn't mess anything up, I love that you are scattered and happy, and you never stop talking to me. Please don't stop, just because I'm grumpy. And I think you are a handsome man and what other people think doesn't matter to me."

Stiles whined a little, sounding like a wolf, "I hate when people treat you like that, it's too much like what she did to you."

Derek nodded, trying not to think about it but he hummed in a completely wolf noise of pleasure that his boyfriend was so protective of him. That his response wasn't just about his own self-esteem but that Derek was okay no matter what some stupid desk clerk said.

"You know we came to a place where I am going to be ogled by men and women right?" he asked with an airy chuckle.

Stiles shrugged and tightened his hold on Derek's neck, "Well none of them can have you. You came here with me and you are leaving with me."

"No doubt about it," Derek whispered and pressed a kiss into the side of Stiles's neck. He glanced at the clock sitting next to the dark television and patted Stiles on the hip, "We have to get ready if you don't want to be late to dinner."

"Is it a Pride thing?" Stiles asked as he pulled away slowly. "Should I dress differently?"

Derek looked over Stiles's jeans and t-shirt with the plaid shirt and shook his head. He was looking forward to Stiles's response when he saw who their dinner companions were for the evening and thankfully they didn't eat much on the way so the younger man was undoubtedly more than ready to eat like he normally did when he missed meals. Derek had more than gotten used to feeding Stiles and the man could on any given day eat more than the alpha werewolf with a much faster metabolism.

They arrived at the bar and it had a dance floor but the noise wasn't too bad and he was expecting to be dragged onto it at some point but for now Stiles was screaming in excitement across the expanse between where they were standing and where Danny and Ethan were curled around a small table. Everyone in the vicinity stopped to stare at them as Stiles dragged Derek across the bar and he shrugged his normal 'what you going to do' shrug that he tended to employ a lot with his boyfriend. Stiles hugged Danny hard then shook hands with Ethan, Derek traded nods with the other men and they ordered drinks quickly. The evening from that point on turned into the two werewolves making sure their two boyfriends didn't drink too much that they were going to ruin the next day which was full of different events whether it was for Pride or just a chance to walk around the city.

"You were smooth on the phone man," Stiles said to Danny at some point.

The other human just grinned and Derek rubbed his hand up and down Stiles's back, Danny hadn't really known what specifically Derek was going to offer to Stiles, but he'd known Derek was bringing his human partner to Pride. Derek didn't know what the phone call between the two of them even consisted of.

"There was nothing to hide really," Danny stated with a shrug, "I was just making you ask your boyfriend his opinion."

Stiles slammed back his third shot and Derek winced because the younger man might have had a lot of experience with drinking, Stiles was still a lightweight and tomorrow was going to be painful.

"Stiles, I am not pain-draining your hangover—again."

The human chuckled and turned to drape his arms over Derek's shoulder and plastered an alcohol saturated kiss to his scruffy cheek, "You're a good boyfriend Derek Hale and I promise not to ask you for a pain drain for my hangover."

"Uh huh," Derek returned but grinned as Stiles nuzzled into his neck a little before he started swaying against Derek's body. This carried on for a few minutes before he nudged Stiles away from him just as their food arrived with another shot as well. Derek glared at the other couple and Danny just winked at him while Ethan glared at his drinking boyfriend as well. Derek knew that Stiles had a fake ID, no one had denied him a drink and he was only a couple months away from 21 but knowing the kind of life they lived and what his dad had gone through with alcoholic tendencies, Derek worried sometimes about the kind of drinking that Stiles could do at times like this and if Danny or Ethan was ordering more for him Derek was going to put his foot down before long.

As he guessed it wasn't much longer before they ended up on the dance floor for some crazy gyrating from Stiles and Derek watching with exasperated adoration. They made plans to see the other couple at a diner the next evening for dinner before they separated but Stiles tugged Derek back onto the dance floor just as the song shifted into a much slower song, people were still winding in and out of the mass of bodies around of them but Derek just focused on Stiles and listened to his hammering heartbeat as the human wrapped his arms around Derek's shoulders and pulled them close to each other.

"I know you don't like when I drink but it's fun," Stiles muttered into the side of his neck. Derek nodded, there was no need to say anything, and he knew better than anyone that sometimes he had issues with substances that put someone he cared about at a disadvantage because of things in his past. He had also heard Noah talk about the years when Stiles would find the bottles of whiskey and pour them out because his father was disappearing into the bottom of a bottle. And at the time Noah had told him because the father knew his son was drinking and it was a concern for both.

"Derek, don't be such a sourwolf!" Stiles gritted out though he was forcing a levity to it that grated on the werewolf's last nerve and Derek pulled back to frown at him.

"I didn't stop you, I am not even asking you to leave so knock it off Stiles. I am allowed to be worried about my boyfriend, my partner."

Stiles grunted and snuggled into the side of Derek's neck again and the werewolf held on tight. The song faded out a little at the end and another bouncing pop song and Stiles started bopping away from him and Derek held onto his hand and motioned towards the door. The human shook his head and pulled away so he could bounce and jive along with the beat and Derek sighed a little before he turned and walked back to the bar and bought two bottles of water and trudged back through the crush of bodies, hating every time the scent of aroused and drunk human wafted under his nose, then he had to stop and someone decided that just looking wasn't going to do. A woman, smelling strongly of alcohol and attraction but not the clean kind that he'd grown accustomed to with Stiles but something muddied by the alcohol and the environment. This woman had clearly come here to have sex and she didn't really care with who, it was an odd thing to experience and know about but he'd been on the receiving end of such things more than once. Since his hands were holding the bottles, she just grinned and pressed up against him. Derek growled at her, "Get off me!"

"Come on baby, dance with me."

"No," Derek returned his voice barely remaining human as he stepped backwards and watched as she stumbled. Some other girl helped stabilize her and gave him a withering look like he was the jackass and Derek started to step around her then she was back and pressed against him. Derek had figured she wasn't ready to give up so he transferred the water into one hand and used the other to fend her off and move around her, back towards where he'd left Stiles.

"Ma'am I believe you have had too much to drink. Someone should call you a cab," he said mostly to keep her concentration on his face rather than his body but then she made a mad grab for his body and Derek shifted a little and barely kept them both from landing in a heap on the floor.

"Dance with me and I can change your mind," she said, trying to get closer but he maintained his grip on her shoulder and holding her back though people were starting to catch sight of what was happening.

He held up his other hand where the ring that he wore from Stiles was on his ring finger and declared, "No you can't so please take this water and leave me alone." Derek handed her the water than turned and walked away towards the exit because he could feel the passion and the anger waving off of the crowd and wanted out. He didn't normally leave Stiles's side in places like this because the bond he had with the human always helped to tether his senses and now that he didn't have Stiles next to him he felt the foundation of his control shaking beneath his feet and he wanted out.

"Derek?" Stiles called from somewhere but the werewolf just continued on out the door, pulling the cap viciously off the bottle and chugging half of the chilled liquid in one go before he turned and waited for Stiles. The human stumbled out a few seconds later, looking fuzzy but mostly coherent as he walked over and took Derek's free hand, "Are you okay? I turned and you were gone."

"I want to go back to the hotel, please Stiles?"

The younger man nodded and they turned and started the trek back to the Camaro which was parked on a side parking lot near the bar. They both climbed in and Derek handed his boyfriend the water and watched as he drank the rest of it in quick succession. Derek watched as his throat worked and forced himself to look away after a moment to long and started the car. They headed back to the hotel and walked inside and headed to the room.

It wasn't until the door was closed behind them that Stiles spoke again, "Was someone hitting on you again?"

Derek gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Did she touch you?" Stiles asked, his hands tightening into fists before they forcibly relaxed.

He nodded again and watched as Stiles started crying and heaved a sigh. Stiles was such an emotional roller coaster sometimes, he was good at being loud and saying nothing but when they were behind closed doors they had always been able to talk about things that they couldn't say to anyone else; alcohol tended to loosen the control the younger man had on his emotions even more so. Derek stepped across the expanse of space between them and hugged Stiles's stiff body and waited for him to hug back.

"Why are you upset right now?" Derek asked calmly as he pressed a hand to the back of Stiles's neck in comfort.

"I hate when people do that and it's the only time I ever get to protect you from anything and I couldn't do that tonight. This is fucking Pride, why the hell do these women think they have any right to make determinations about our life together or put their hands on you?"

Derek frowned because that was really a much bigger issue than he'd even known about. He knew that Stiles liked to step in when people hit on him so he wouldn't have to deal with it but he had no idea it had become something important to his partner.

"Stiles, that's a load of horseshit," he said and pulled away in time to watch Stiles's face fall for a moment then harden in anger. He tried to jerk away from Derek but the werewolf just kept him close and tried to explain, "You do so much more than wave off the advances of women to protect me, I don't like when you say things like that about yourself."

Stiles deflated and gestured that he wanted out of Derek's grip and the werewolf released him because he _did not_ use his strength to control his boyfriend; it was a rule in their relationship. Stiles turned and walked towards the bed and started to kick off his shoes and throw his plaid button-up off, the article of clothing landing on a nearby chair, which is better than what he did in the loft sometimes. Derek moved around the discarded shoes as Stiles flopped back on the bed with an oomph to sit down next to his boyfriend.

"This is one of the reasons I shouldn't drink huh?" Stiles whispered.

Derek snorted, "Honestly if it gets some of those crazy little gems out of your head where we can have a conversation about it then maybe this isn't such a bad thing but you know that your dad is concerned about the drinking when you do to much of it. He told me about after your mom passed."

"I know that you know about that Derek, I'm not mourning my mom though okay! I am just having a good time and I don't do it very often."

Derek nodded because his boyfriend had a point, "Can I just blame it on my past of watching the people I love die or get sick in front of me?"

Stiles tilted his head over and waved at Derek to lay down so he flopped back and let Stiles squish them together, all bones and sinewy that he didn't know he was attracted to until Stiles climbed back into his life and ended up in his bed. "I get it, I promise to keep it under control and I will give you _all_ the sour looks when you are trying to kill my fun."

Derek chuckled because how could he not, Stiles always had a way to keep him from getting a big head about things even being a overkill caring boyfriend. They stabilized each other in ways that no one ever had for Derek, not even Paige.

At the time when he was young he'd used the pack as an anchor, with Peter's help. Now, Stiles had been his anchor for a long time; the fragile human who was filled with stupid courage and made up of fragile pieces had been something of a conundrum to the werewolf who had grown up with the power to survive most things and had watched people die anyway. Stiles's inability to stay out of the fight if his best friend was involved then he just naturally bonded with the other betas as well had scared the crap out of the alpha even as it equally impressed him.

Even when Derek left Beacon Hills, the thought of Stiles standing up to him, never letting his fear or frailty keep him from what he needed to do. That thought had can give Derek what he needed to control himself on the full moon and he'd just never told Stiles. He didn't need to, the younger man seemed to know without being told.

"You know I would never make with the grabby hands if you didn't want to, right?" Stiles asked in the silence.

Derek frowned, pressing his nose into the human's forehead, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know we haven't done as much sexual stuff as a normal couple might be doing but I wouldn't use alcohol to excuse my grabbing you without your consent. I wouldn't do that."

Derek smiled, "Of course you wouldn't. I'm not worried about that, I just can't stand being in those places for long and even if I did have wolfsbane laced alcohol it would make everything worse. I appreciate the concern but I know you care enough about me to keep your grabby hands to yourself. Unless I want them there." With that he tightened his hold around the younger man and they were quiet for another minute or so. He thought about what happened in the lobby and the club, what Stiles had said and took a deep breath because no matter how long they were together Derek was still bad at words and matching them to what he was feeling but he had to try.

"Look I need you to know something. I know that sometimes it's hard for you to be with me because of what other people treat me like and what people treat you like."

Stiles snorted, effectively stopping Derek for a second, "That's not why Der, you are amazing. I just figured even if you were attracted to guys this was never going to be a thing because you had been so hurt in the past and you had every reason to distrust me and Scott. We put you in jail, we unburied your sister and made you find her again. You were so amazing later on and you never packed it in with Scott, no matter what. It's not what you look like that sometimes makes me crazy and has me falling hard for you over and over, it's the fact that you're a good man and I am at best a public nuisance and a criminal in training."

Derek shrugged because he didn't know what to say and Stiles really was giving Derek and the sheriff a run for their money in the stressful situations as well as illegal activities. He had settled since he graduated though, thank God.

"That's not all you are though," Derek finally said because getting into an argument about Stiles's overinflated idea of what Derek was or Stiles was wouldn't get them anywhere. "You saved me over and over and being with you has taught me so much I didn't know about myself and relationships. You think its just about protecting me from overzealous women then you're an idiot because you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're not only a budding criminal, and you really are going to have to knock that stuff off if you want to be a cop and follow in your father's footsteps like I know you are going to do."

Stiles sighed, "You save me right back Sourwolf, all the time."

"Love you," Derek whispered and he could feel as Stiles started falling asleep so he stood and helped the younger man out of his pants and tucked him into bed before removing his own clothes and walking into the bathroom for his nightly ritual. He headed back and climbed into bed next to his boyfriend and smiled when Stiles pressed in close with a canine-like growl of happiness. Pressing his lips into Stiles's forehead, he closed his eyes and sank into sleep.


	3. Pride

**Chapter 3** **: Pride**

 **Author's note: Thank you to the person to let me know this was in code.**

They did all the things. Over the next five days, Stiles dragged Derek from one thing to the next. Some things had everything to do with Pride and others were just for the sake of a week crashing in LA. Stiles texted with his dad and Scott all week, making sure that Beacon Hills wasn't burning in their absence even as Derek just shook his head at the need to keep tabs on their pack and home town but he didn't stop Stiles from doing it.

"Don't front, you worry too," Stiles stated the first time he texted his best friend and Derek didn't even try to argue. The werewolf just nodded, walked around behind Stiles as Scott rang him and started mouthing at the younger man's neck. Stiles gasped and sighed through a very short conversation before hanging up on his annoyed bro and turned to attack Derek to the bed. They didn't leave the house for another hour after that.

Stiles and Derek went out to lunch with Danny and Ethan, they met a couple of the same people by day three Stiles had four new numbers of people in the community who lived in the area.

Then it was time for the game and Stiles was trying not to vibrate out of his clothes in excitement. Derek walked over to him and pressed a hand into his shoulder to try to calm him a little bit but it just made Stiles grin even bigger, "Do you know this is the first time I am going to a baseball game like this in years. Dad takes me to some of the small town games, but this… this is huge!"

Derek nodded and said nothing and Stiles paused to watch his boyfriend for a minute, the werewolf had been a trooper for all of this though Stiles had been wincing more than once at the noise level of the events so he had no doubt that this had been hard on the man's overly sensitive senses. "You going to be okay?" he finally asked.

The alpha nodded, "Tomorrow we can relax for most of the day right? No other people? You and me?"

Stiles wrapped his arms around the older man's shoulders and hugged him, "Yes sir, alpha sir, that's the plan. There will be no deviations from the plan," Stiles said and pressed a kiss into Derek's lips then bounced away again before making out could distract him from leaving for the game. They headed out to the baseball field and found their seats after standing in line for a while and Stiles took a moment to look around the larger field and saw the rainbow of people.

And he got it. Stiles understood for the first time why the rainbow had become the symbol for Pride because there was every kind of person in the field and he was one of them. He'd lived most of his life being on the outside. He was the boy who's mother died when he was young. He'd had panic attacks and suffered from sleeping walking. He was the sheriff's son. He was the only human in a werewolf pack. He had always been Stiles, the unique one and most days it was a source of pride but when he went home alone for days and weeks and months and years, those times when he'd been alone in his room wondering if he would never be a part of something—it hadn't mattered that he was special, only alone.

Stiles knew how to be useful in his specialness, had been desperate more than once in his life to prove to someone; including Scott that he was worthy of their time even though he was so unlike the rest of them but here and now it was different. These people didn't care that he designated bisexual or gay, they didn't care to make decisions about him because of these things, this was a place where he was just here.

He turned to Derek just as the werewolf asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah Der, I am," he whispered and pressed his forehead into the edge of Derek's shoulder, "Thank you for coming with me. I didn't know how much I didn't have this."

"Oh?" Derek questioned.

The human chuckled, "Derek you know better than most that I am not like other people in so many ways. It's something that a lot of people have come to appreciate about me for various reasons but here I am just one of the thousands who are different just looking for my people."

"I'm your people too," Derek said with a nudge into Stiles's arm and the human smiled as he looked up at his boyfriend.

"Yeah you are, for better or worse."

Derek smiled and leaned into Stiles, sharing a kiss for a moment then listened as the sound of cheers rent the air and they focused on the game below as it started, the players running out onto the field to practice. "Who you rooting for anyway?" Derek asked after a minute.

Stiles shrugged negligently, "Whoever wins."

And that's exactly what he does, he screams obscenities when someone makes a bitch move, he screams in excitement for anyone who pulls ahead of the other and everyone around them was staring at him in confusion rather than righteous anger or indignation but Stiles didn't care. He was a Mets fan, to the depths of his soul and he and his dad had a thing where they just rooted for everyone and he couldn't think of a better way to continue the tradition. Soon though other people around them were starting to get swept up into Stiles's enthusiasm and he grinned when Derek even started shouting.

"You tell them Sourwolf," Stiles hooted happily as they continued to watch the teams fight for the win. Derek watched the action with the intensity that Stiles had never really seen on him.

The werewolf frowned and looked over, "Yes?"

"Do you like baseball, Sportswolf?"

Derek growled at the new variation on the old nickname and shrugged, "It's interesting and I always liked sports when I was younger though I did prefer basketball."

Stiles nudged his boyfriend with a cheeky grin; "I love that you can be like this here with me. You can remember what its like to cheer on a baseball team and watch someone lose and another win and have it be just that instead of some life and death struggle."

Derek flushed a little and ducked his chin, "It's not a big deal Stiles."

Stiles dragged Derek in gently, hand around the back of his neck and smiled as he kissed his werewolf in an open and wet kiss, separating as another strike echoed in the field and he grinned at the older man, "It is a big deal Derek. Its you and I love it."

The werewolf shrugged him off and refocused on the game until the big screen above brandished something in support of Pride and then there were kissing fans in the stands. People shrugging and kissing each other, some small pecks and others were long and a little to risqué to be in front of a stadium of people and thankfully Stiles and Derek didn't get picked in the running. Stiles wouldn't mind claiming his boyfriend in front of all these people but if the kiss cam landed on other people with them things were not going to go well.

After the kiss cam was over, there were performances and shout outs to the community, the seventh inning stretch and apparently there was going to be fireworks after the end of the game which was now seemed to be coming at an even faster speed. Stiles was still shouting and cheering, Derek watching intently and clapping when he deemed a play worthy of his respect then the Dodgers were announced the winner and everyone rose up to converge on the field while Stiles and Derek stayed seated and Stiles stared down at the mob of people on the field. He took a couple of pictures, turning around and motioning for Derek to do the same so he could sit down in Derek's lap and catch some of the crowd over their shoulders.

Then just as the fireworks were beginning, Stiles leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of Derek's lips, "Let's go back to the hotel. I am beat, ready for bed."

Derek pulled back to look at him, "I don't even want to ask are you sure because I would really like to be away from all this but …?"

"I'm sure Derek, this was amazing but I could just steal some fireworks and set them off at home."

"Please don't," Derek said as he scrubbed his face with one hand, "Seriously grey hair shouldn't be a thing for a werewolf my age and being in love with you sure seems to be a sure fire way to get there much faster."

Stiles laughed as he stood and grabbed Derek's hand so they could walk out of the stadium and towards the parking lot where the Camaro is then off to the hotel. Climbing into bed was nice after the long game and the long day. Stiles leaned in and pressed himself up to Derek's body and kissed his boyfriend. Derek opened under the slight pressure of the human's tongue and sank into the taste and sensation of each other.

Derek pulled away a minute later, kissed Stiles one more time and smiled against his mouth. "We're going back tomorrow after the parade, are you ready to go home?"

Stiles shook his head, "Not really, the idea of going back to bouncing back and forth, scheduling time to be together after all this time with you, that's going to suck."

Stiles watched as Derek frowned a little then leaned back in to kiss his love, Stiles grinned into the embrace and tried to get even closer even though it was impossible at that point. There was no more air between them; just the way Stiles liked it.

"What if?" Derek whispered gently and he faltered.

Stiles frowned as he pressed kisses into Derek's throat and cheek. He knew how special it was when Derek allowed him to press his lips into the skin of his throat, Derek trusted him to not hurt him and Stiles would do anything to keep it that way.

"What if what Der?" Stiles whispered into the werewolf's skin.

"What if you didn't have to go back and forth?"

Stiles pulled away and stared at Derek in surprise, "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"You know, when the house is finished maybe?" he asked, sounding so painfully uncertain and Stiles grinned. He couldn't help it; he loved this man more than he'd ever loved anything or anyone and though making him sweat might have been fun letting him think he was going to say no was so much worse.

"I think I love that idea, though my dad might not be the most thrilled of parentals."

Derek shrugged, "He has some time to get used to it."

"He will," Stiles whispered and pressed another kiss to Derek's lips before he resettled in the man's arms and grinned until he fell asleep with Derek's hands pressed into his hair and the other hand over Stiles where it was on his chest.

Derek and Stiles met up with Danny and Ethan for the last parade of the week and the werewolf knew it was going to be interesting dealing with the level of noise and everything but he was with Stiles so that would help. He watched his boyfriend bounce around happily as the people walked past them and Derek sank into the scent of contentment wavering around Stiles's body. He watched the colors of the rainbow wave around him and he looked over at Ethan and nudged the other werewolf, who turned and grinned.

"What do you get out of this besides a happy boyfriend?" Derek asked.

Stiles turned and looked at him with a wink but Derek just stayed on Ethan for a minute. Ethan reached out and pressed a hand to Danny's lower back, "I lost everything in Beacon Hills, my pack and then my brother. I couldn't stay there but Danny wouldn't let me go. He learned more and more about me, about werewolves and everything then he found me. He taught me more than anyone else what it means to belong to something or someone."

Derek watched his boyfriend and thought; yeah he knew what that was like know more than ever. He had a pack in Beacon Hills; he had a mate in Stiles. He knew for the first time since his family died what it was like to belong. And that's what Stiles came here looking for but in a very different way.

"You feel a part of something here?" Derek finally asked.

Ethan nodded, "It's the biggest most ridiculously strong pack I could ever have and I am not here for Danny. I am here just as much for myself. You can be too."

"To belong is to be human though, they would never really understand," Derek whispered because he was used to turning down the prospect of comfort and belonging. It was better for everyone if he wasn't a part of anything, it was one of the main reasons he left Beacon Hills to begin with. Those teens were in better hands if he wasn't around.

Ethan snorted inelegantly and Derek glared at him which apparently just wasn't as intimidating as he always thought it was, "Don't be a dumbass, why do you think packs are so important to us? Because belonging is important to humans? Stiles needs this and I think you do too, they aren't going to care about anything else, just that you are here and needing something that we all need. So just shut up and enjoy it."

Derek wanted to flash his alpha eyes at the beta but he didn't, not because of the crowd or anything but because Ethan may have a point and he was more 'safe' in the old belief that he didn't need or want closeness and acceptance but it would just chase other people away.

Maybe he needed to consider what kind of roots he wanted and how he wanted them. Stiles was in Beacon Hills for now as were the other betas but it was also his family's territory and maybe he was depending to heavily on Stiles to keep him there.

What if he belonged no matter what?

So as he watched all the colorful people wander by, as they were invited into the street and started waving flags and marching right along with them, Derek planned and wondered what it would be like to actually settle back in his hometown and have it be for himself instead of everyone else.

They went to a quick lunch and said their goodbyes to Danny and Ethan, Derek shaking the other werewolf's hand and giving him a significant look while saying "Thank you for everything."

Since they packed up everything, Stiles and Derek got back into the Camaro for the long drive home and the werewolf listened as the human excitedly talked about what they could do with the house when it was finished and maybe he could have an official drawer at the loft and he could put some clothes there.

"Maybe I can stay the night and not have to wear the same clothes as the day before."

"Dream big, huh Stiles?" Derek returned.

Stiles stared at him for a minute then he chortled, "I love when you joke around like that. I never expect it, ever. Even now."

Derek shook his head and resigned himself to the next couple of hours of listening to his boyfriend yammering on and on, smiling at the thought. Yeah, sometimes being stuck in a small vehicle with the chatty human but then again Stiles could also be still and contemplative and Derek didn't know what was worse so if this was the Stiles that he was blessed with then he would drive and listen.

It was after all; who he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. If pride had taught him anything it was to trust that he belonged with Stiles and a community that was much like a pack. He deserved and wanted a pack, and that was always going to start with the trust he had with Stiles and build on it.

"Thank you again Derek, for knowing that I desperately wanted to go and I wanted you to go with me," Stiles said after a couple minutes of silence.

He shifted to look at his partner, "I love you Stiles and I am proud to be with you. I hope you never think anything different."

Stiles grinned and whispered, "Pride. Pride. Pride."

"You can do that all you want, as long as you can keep it up," Derek said back and Stiles chuckled again as he continued to chant for a few more minutes before he fell silent and they continued home.

Home Sweet Beacon Hills, Derek thought for the first time since before he left with Laura. Amazing what one ridiculous klutzy human could do to one werewolf's life. Thank god for that.


End file.
